Air India plane crash: Were Boeing 787's flaps retracted?
Several aviation enthusiasts and experts have speculated whether the flaps of the Air India 171 (Boeing 787 Dreamliner), which crashed on Thursday in Ahmedabad, were retracted while analysing the video of the crash.
Flaps are retractable surfaces on the trailing edge of wings. An aircraft, during the take-off and landing phases when its speed is slow, requires extra 'lift' — the upward, aerodynamic force generated by the wings that keeps a plane aloft.
This extra lift is provided by the flaps, which increase the wing surface area. Flaps are extended by either of the pilots manually before take-off and landing. Extended flaps are set at different degrees depending on requirement. In all other phases of flight, the flaps remain retracted.
Crashed Dreamliner's flaps
It appears from the pictures of the wreckage that the flaps were in an extended position, and not retracted, as speculated.
Extending the flaps for take-off is part of the 'before take-off' checklist and is done on the ground when the aircraft is on the apron or taxiway. This takes place much before an aircraft enters the runway, and begins its take-off roll and gets airborne.
If the crew misses this vital checklist item, the 787's warning system will warn the pilots about the incorrect flap settings.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Greg Feith (67), former senior air safety investigator with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said: 'The thing that's curious about the video is that the flaps appear to be up or at a minimal setting that wouldn't be typical of a normal takeoff.'
David Learmount, Consulting Editor, FlightGlobal, on his blog wrote, 'Looking at a video of the last few seconds of the flight, the landing gear still remains down, the flaps look as if they are still at a take-off setting, and the aircraft is in a steady descent which only ended in impact with buildings and the ground'.
As for why the landing gear was still down, it is likely that the pilots, dealing with the emergency, had no time to retract the gear.
V1, Vr, V2 speeds
These are three critical speeds during the take-off phase.
Rolling down the runway for take-off but not airborne yet, as an aircraft attains V1 speed, the plane's Captain has to decide whether to continue or reject the take-off. If the Captain feels something is not alright, it is her last chance to stop the take-off. V1 is also called the take-off decision speed.
Once an aircraft has crossed the V1 point, it is unsafe to reject the take-off as the available runway length may be insufficient to stop the aircraft.
Vr is the rotation speed or lift-off speed. At this point, the monitoring pilot calls 'rotate' and the pilot flying gently raises the nose. The wings are producing sufficient lift and the aircraft becomes airborne.
V2 or the take-off safety speed is the minimum speed at which an aircraft can climb safely with one engine.
V1, Vr and V2 speeds vary for every flight, calculated on the basis of aircraft weight, runway length, weather etc.
From the videos, it is evident the Air India 171 did not encounter any problems during the V1 and Vr phases, but experienced problems during the climb phase.
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India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Loss of thrust, bird strike, pilot error or technical fault: Aviation expert Alok Singh on Ahmedabad plane crash
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Indian Express
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Twin tragedies in 18 days: Two little girls lose mother to cancer, father to Ahmedabad crash
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Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Felt like an earthquake, then there was fire, heard screams'
With belongings like table fans, shoes and books packed into bags they could find, clothes tied up in bedsheets, MBBS students and resident doctors of B J Medical College evacuated the buildings that were their place of comfort until Thursday afternoon. The police barricades had extended further, controlling access as heavy-duty cranes began dislodging parts of the Air India AI 171 flight thrust into the concrete walls of the Attulyam hostels blackened with soot. As scheduled passenger planes continued to fly overhead, Deep Davla, a first-year MBBS student rolled a suitcase, his friend Ritav from second-year carrying more belongings in a cardboard box meant for mangoes, to load on their scooter. Deep Davla was on the third floor of the hostel building at the time of the crash. Wiping the sweat off his face in the sultry Saturday afternoon, he told The Indian Express, 'Pehele bhukamp jaisa laga, phir uske baad achanak se aag aa gayi, phir chillane ki aawaz aayi, phir hum seediyon se jaane ka try ki wahan bhi aag thi (first it felt like an earthquake, then suddenly there was a fire, and we could hear screaming… then we went towards the stairs, there was fire there as well'). The boys then came to the balcony and saw vehicles burning on the ground floor. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner also blasted through the hostel building Thursday afternoon. 'Then a vehicle close to us caught fire and we thought it was best to jump as there were more vehicles below. So we climbed down from the railings to the first floor and jumped from there then we jumped the boundary wall and ran,' he said. Davla came to study at BJ Medical College from North Gujarat. There were resident doctors from Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and other states as well, who were vacating. Tadie Mra, a PG student of Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI), hails from Arunachal Pradesh and had moved in only four days before the crash. As he got on to a bus with his belongings, he told The Indian Express, 'On the day of crash, I was having lunch at the mess. However, I got a call for an urgent biopsy that was to be done. I rushed there. And after I reached the hospital, the crash happened.' Tadie said that two of his friends sustained injuries. 'They have not been able to sleep since this mishap. Such is the trauma,' he said. Tadie said that they have got good accommodation at their college. A senior official of the B J Medical College said that the process of vacating started Friday. Official sources said that the blocks have been 'badly hit' and the buildings have become 'inhabitable'. Sources added that the students who had left the debilitated buildings have been provided other accommodations on the college campus itself. The students are now taking back their belongings from Attulyam blocks, sources said, adding that they were allowed to take their luggage after getting a green light from the police to enter the building. An MBBS student from Kerala, who was wheeling a bag and carrying some belongings, said on condition of anonymity, 'The place is not livable anymore'. An official of GCRI said, 'GCRI has two blocks in Attulyam and 100 students were staying. Some of them took their luggage on Friday and the rest moved it today.' 'Most of the students are taking belongings that are very essential like books and clothes along with important documents,' the official said.
